Research work · 2014
Economics in the Christian Scriptures
M. Douglas Meeks
The Oxford Handbook of Christianity and Economics
Abstract
The Christian Scriptures do not contain what would be called modern economics, but they are replete with the concerns of economy, that is, the means of livelihood. The “economy of God” is a term in the Scriptures and the tradition designating God’s all-inclusive history with the creation and the human response to God’s economic work. Considering this larger framework is essential to understanding the particular economic material in the Scriptures. This includes material on wealth and poverty, property, justice, mercy, the Sabbath, usury, slavery, and hospitality.